coffeegal
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Posts posted by coffeegal
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My older 4 children each have their own planner. I really don't need a planner for myself, which maybe why I keep running into problems trying to find one that works for me. ;)
The year is planned out by the week. On Friday, I hand out the week's paper, post assignments in the kitchen, and help my 11yo plan his week. The older children plan their own, although I'll often take a look to ensure nothing has been 'forgotten'.
When I sit down with a child, I simply refer to their planner. Assignments are due and discussions are done on Friday. Fridays tend to be a bit crazy. :001_smile:
The system works very well for older children. My youngest 2 do not, and will not, have a planner for several years. :D
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Why not just start by doing a lesson a day, and if she gets frustrated, drop back to half? In other words, you don't need to make a plan NOW and stick to it.
:iagree:This is my plan. I'm expecting we can go at full pace for 30 lessons or so before we need to drop to half. When, or if, we drop back, we'll be doing odds one day and evens the next.
My other thought is to simply put a time limit on math. She works for 1-2 hours and calls it a day. Then your daughter can pick math up at the point she ended the day before. :001_smile:
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We use a mix of items. It depends upon the need. Some are prepackaged or prepared curricula, others textbooks, and others workbooks. :001_smile:
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Has he stated a reason he prefers his police tactical pants? Comfort? Fabric? Feel? Would he be willing to go with you to pick out pants for exercising or to have a second pair of tactical pants? One for training and one for regular wear?
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I don't divide the weekly folder into days because I don't care if Doodle wants to do all of his geography or grammar or whatever all in one day. I don't want to micromanage, spoon-feed, his daily schedule to him. He was 10yo turning 11 this past year and wanted a little autonomy in deciding his day. This kept him on track by week, but let him have a voice. Also, except for grammar, he pretty much does the work in his folder independently. I just try to glance at it daily to make sure he is on track to finish at the end of the week. If not, I point out that he probably needs to do a little more work the next day, but basically I have just let there be natural consequences. There have been a few times this year when he missed Friday afternoon park day because his folder wasn't complete, and there have been a couple of Saturdays that he needed to finish his folder. I just viewed it as a lesson in time management. Even with these natural consequences, he obviously preferred his folders to having me manage his days because he asked to do them again next year.
:iagree:
I use 36 hanging file folders that is divided into children and myself, but not by day. This way we can adapt to weekly schedule changes if needed and adapt for individual children's preferences. It worked very well this past year. I had almost everything I needed at my finger tips and ready to pass out to each child as needed. My colored file folder held all tests and reading assignment sheets I wanted to post in the kitchen.
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I printed up the coloring pages and maps from the activity guide.
The children colored while I read from SOTW. We usually tried for 3 days, but 2 days a week is more realistic and what I'll be doing with my youngest 2 this year. Usually we covered a chapter a week.
After I read the blurb from SOTW, we ran through the discussion questions. This could also work into a simple narration. Have your child narrate a sentence and one of you write it on the bottom of the coloring sheet. Or you write the sentence onto scrap paper and your child copies it.
Now it's time for the map work. We did the map work on Mondays, the first day of SOTW. We'd review the map on Wednesdays.
Pick an activity to do. My suggestion is to pick one or two big activities a month and a couple small activities. Don't try to do it all!
I also checked out as many of the extra reading books from the library as I could. They were used as read alouds at bedtime, independent reading, and optional reading. The books are wonderful. When my 4th child was working through SOTW Vol. 1, I hopped in the car with a pile of recommended books. All my children quickly passed the books between themselves to read.
We've enjoyed doing SOTW. The children learned geography from the regular map work, we brought wonderful picture books home for the children to read, and the children had pegs for ancient history. We were watching a movie once that referenced building the Great Wall of China and the terracotta army. Dh started to explain the history behind the reference, and the children exclaimed they already knew and understood it. :001_smile:
As far as doing it with young children, we're swinging around to the ancients this year. I'll be doing SOTW with my youngest 2 children. :D
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Yes, I have two file boxes that hold all printables for 36 weeks.
The hanging files are numbered from 1-36. Each hanging file holds 6 regular manila folders and 1 colored folder. The 6 regular folders are labeled child #1, child #2, etc. The colored folder holds paper I need. Tests, instructions, assignment lists, etc.
Each week I hand the printables to my oldest 4 children. My teens schedule themselves. My 11yo and I sit down to create his schedule together. I plan my younger children.
I post reading assignments, science assignments, and maps in the kitchen.
This system has worked really well for content subjects and older children. Young children are more iffy about skill subjects. Sometimes we've needed to stop and master sounds or numbers. Other times the children rush ahead. I often keep skill subjects (namely math) in a separate binder for young children so we can move more easily at their pace.
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Hi everyone :laugh: I've been kind of lurking around here for a bit..I love reading and benefiting from all of the advice and experience that is posted here. So thank you :)
I have a question and would appreciate any input.
My son is going to be a third grader in the fall and I've been trying to nail down the resources that I want to use for his language arts. We just started homeschooling after Thanksgiving break last year so I walked away feeling that the year was a bit...disjointed. I was just trying to get my footing on how to do everything and think that what I initially chose to use wasn't really effective (Growing with Grammar, Winning with Writing, Plaid Phonics, Spelling Workout-I don't think there was a whole lot of retention with them). So I'm back to the drawing board and starting from scratch. After ENDLESS researching (and reading threads here-thank you) I *think* that I have decided on Rod and Staff's English Program.
This is what I was thinking as for-sure:
Rod and Staff English
Rod and Staff Spelling with Sound and Structure.
Pentime for handwriting.
Now, I was planning on adding in WWE (though admittedly I do not know much about this program besides the basics) and possibly Just Write. My son goes completely blank with writing and he gets that from me so I'm kind of lost on this area. Then I read some random review that stated the Rod and Staff program includes composition-can anyone verify this? Is the composition that is a part of the R&S enough for a third grader who is a reluctant writer? Should I still have some sort of phonics practice this year? I was also going to add in Wordly Wise for vocabulary-is that necessary?
I also have a daughter who will be in the first grade and was planning on doing CLE's Language Arts and CLE's Learning to Read program along with Just Write and maybe WWE? Does this sound okay? I originally planned on doing CLE LA with my son as well (he will be doing their math as he needs the constant review CLE includes) but I wasn't sure about the dictionary markings they include and heard that the spelling lists seem kind of random.
I plan on doing a lot of read alouds of classic children's lit but haven't gotten to the point of planning those yet.
So, I'm obviously very new to this and unsure of what I'm doing to be honest. Any advice or thoughts will be much appreciated :)
I love Pentime Penmanship for handwriting. Yes, Rod and Staff English is enough for writing. There isn't much instruction in composition until the end of R&S 3. There is build up though. The children write a sentence here, a couple sentences there, and work up to writing a paragraph. My suggestion is to add narrations and copy work in history and science. Simply have your son narrate a sentence or two about what he learned, you write it down, and he copies it.
I don't know much about CLE. My preference is to use Queen's Language Lessons for Little Ones for Prk - 1st grade and then we switch over to Rod and Staff English in the second grade.
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Did anyone talk to you about what you might expect from marriage before the fact?
Yes, my mom spoke to me briefly several times about who to marry and how hard marriage is and how it takes work. There are times in every marriage you want out. The church also required premarital counseling before we married.
Mom and Dad married young and are still happily married. Dh and I are coming up quickly on 20 years.
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Did anyone talk to you about what you might expect from marriage before the fact? My mom pushed me into marriage before I was ready because she wanted someone to take care of me. I can appreciate why she did that, but despite her failed marriage with my dad, she seemed to have this romantic notion about marriage. She never talked to me about what kinds of problems I might encounter. And at the beginning of my marriage, when I would talk to her about problems I was having, she always took the attitude that I must be doing something wrong. Thankfully, she didn't stay that way. She became very supportive as my marriage started suffering from problems that just seemed overwhelming. She was unable to offer good advice though. My first husband an I had an amicable divorce at least. As I remarried, I knew so much more and that has truly helped me grow as a person and a spouse. My DH felt the same way. He didn't know much about marriage and sometimes had trouble navigating the problems. His first marriage lasted twice as long as mine did, although for half of that they were really individual people. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not at all suggesting that first marriages never work. As much as I love my DH, I can't help but wonder what would it have been like if in my first marriage we had overcome our problems. I was just so young and inexperienced. I wish we had known people who would have talked with us, but our families just kept out of it. At the end, we tried to go to counseling, but it was really too late. I'd like to talk to my children about what makes relationships successful even through troubled times, but I'm not sure how to start or what to say. Is it good or bad for parents to want to talk about marriage to their kids?
FWIW, since I was a child of a divorced couple, I talked to my first husband about how to handle our dd when we got divorced. We even took a class that discussed how to handle kids. I think it helped. We were supportive of one another, at least until he remarried. That's a whole different ball of wax though.
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I am sorry, I do not know who Art Reed is.
The Saxon that I bought was published in 2005, and is soft cover. We had been using Abeka, but I wanted something with a CD or video that could help explain as math for 4th grade is going to get harder for me to teach as math is not one of my strengths. I gave my daughter a placement test and I was very surprised to see she did not do as well because she was doing ok with Abeka. I spoke with a more experience homeschool mom and she told me that we would do fine, that it starts out with just addition and subtraction. I went to a used book store and looked at a Saxon 2nd edition book and it looked pretty straight forward and I felt that she would do fine with it. Then the newer Saxon came that I had ordered online and it looks completely different and confusing to me over the used Saxon book that I had looked at. I am not sure if I should try to make the newer Saxon work, or if I should sell it and just buy a used copy of an older Saxon book. Thank you.
I use the 2nd edition and have been thrilled with the result.
Art Reed is at www.homeschoolwithsaxon.com His newsletters have recommendations for which editions to use and why. You can also e-mail or call him with any questions you have. He taught Saxon Math at the high school level for many years. He does sell a book and DVD math tutorials. When I called, he never asked if I purchased the book or DVDs. He simply advised us on the best course to proceed with Saxon. :001_smile:
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I don't recommend using the first edition. There is an increase in difficulty that makes a wide difference between Saxon 87 first edition and Saxon 87 second edition. We use the second edition, but I've been advised to purchase the third edition as the problems reference the lesson it's taught. I'm mean. My kids can use the index or ask me if they have a problem. ;)
As far as the new editions, I really don't know much about them. My recommendation is to check out Art Reed's Using John Saxon's Math. He's quite helpful.
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I've used R&S for my older child and like it for the grammer instruction. What about for a younger student though?
I use R&S English beginning in 2nd grade. For preschool, kindergarten, and first grade we work through Queen's Language Lessons for Little Ones. It's a very gentle introduction to language arts. The third volume we use in the 1st grade. It introduces basic punctuation and grammar, has copy work, reviews phonics, and takes about 5 minutes a day. I don't place my children at their reading ability but at their writing ability. It kept the phonics lessons as review and kept the groaning about writing to a minimum. ;)
I've also used LLTL and enjoyed our year using it. Like Queen's LLFLO, it was lovely having all the language arts in one book. :001_smile:
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I found my 6 year olds got more out of Story of the World than younger children. They were able to answer the questions, do the mapwork, and read some of the books. That being said, my youngest 2 children will be just-turned 5 and turning 4 in September. They will be tagging along since the family will be studying the ancients. We'll have fun, do some projects, and save the serious studies for the next time around. ;)
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It's the smell you can pick out, and that's after you've held your child for a bit and know the smell. Each infant has their own baby smell.
It's there immediately after birth, and each baby had the same smell. They smelled like 'MINE' for lack of a better word. :001_tt1:
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My oldest son is doing well self-studying with Henle. :001_smile:
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I can't do it for this year. It's my oldest son's senior year and our last year of major purchases. After this year, I need to pick up an odd workbook here and there for my youngest children, but we have the big items we need for many years to come. My curriculum costs plummet! :party:
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We're required to test in my state, but only the skill areas. Would your husband be happy just testing LA and math, or does he wish to see science and social studies? Those are harder because homeschoolers tend to teach content subjects in a different order than the public schools. :001_smile:
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Most awkward thread title I know. I'm just looking for some like-minded and similarly positioned support. I've felt since I had this baby that I was done, at first it was an angry and resentful decision but now I feel a peace with it. I do still love larger families and love the idea of more kids (and quite enjoy when we have other kids visiting) but at least for now both dh and I need a break.
:grouphug: Nothing wrong with a break... take a look at my children's ages! You'll end up with 2 groups of kids, juggling teens and preschoolers, watch your teens give the little ones piggy-back rides, and have lots of fun. Take a break for now and enjoy your children. :001_smile:
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My recommendation is to sit and discuss every scenario you can think of, brainstorm together and think of solutions. For instance, can she put her hearing aids in before class? What happens if she doesn't wear them? Could she tape record lectures and listen to them later? Check with friends to ensure she didn't miss important parts of the lecture? With hearing loss, what aids are she allowed to use? Who should she go to if she runs into problems?
If you brainstorm problems and plan solutions, your daughter should do fine at college. I wouldn't get more involved unless the issue becomes drastic and she asks for help. :001_smile:
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Yes, I'm an intermediate sewer... sew well enough to make a simple formal gown, not well enough to make a wedding dress. :lol:
My sons can sew a basic seam by hand and sew buttons on a shirt. They're not interested in learning more.
My daughters and I will be completing a few sewing projects this summer. I want my little one to learn to sew a simple seam, and my teenager to be able to sew her own clothing. :thumbup:
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It took a normal amount of time to receive the books. They definitely arrived before I was pacing the floors wondering when they'd get here. :blush:
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There is no perfect system for teaching writing. There are many good systems, but no perfect curricula that will produce the perfect writer. My suggestion is to watch the TWSS, since you have it. Then listen to SWB's lectures on writing. Then determine your writing goals for the year. If you're dealing with a middle school student, you can concentrate on creating 3-5 paragraph logical reports through outlining and writing from the outline.
My vague outline for teaching writing is as follows:
1. Focus on teaching outlining skills
2. Teach writing from the outline. First 1 paragraph, then 3-5 paragraphs. Simple report style writing.
2. Teach introductions and conclusions
3. Teach thesis statements
4. Teach various ways to structure the paper for persuasive, technical, 5-paragraph, creative, etc.
Once children are adept at outlining and writing from the outline, it's easy to teach different methods of structuring the outline for various purposes. You can take your time and look through the different curricula and see if something clicks. My recommendation, though, is to concentrate on learning how to teach writing first, then worry about finding a curriculum for your homeschool. :001_smile:
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Switch from phonics to a good phonetic spelling program. Spelling Workout, Rod and Staff Spelling, All About Spelling, etc. There are many spelling programs to look into. Another alternative is to work through Phonics Pathways again focusing on spelling the words rather than reading. :001_smile:
Questions about TOG
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
I adore using TOG in high school. It truly shines.
That being said, my children who will be using TOG most, or all, of the way through their education will receive the better education. TOG builds and spirals. In the grammar stage biographies and major events are emphasized. Literary concepts are introduced. The dialectic stage takes everything to a greater depth before plunging into deep water in the rhetoric stage. Yes, there is great merit to using TOG even just from 1st to 8th grade.
As far as books, I've had children in 3 levels this past rotation. I could not purchase all the books. Instead I poured over the reading list for history, noted the books needed for many weeks, and bought those. The library provided most of the other books or alternatives needed. Almost every literature book was available at the library. We tended to skip the few that weren't and substitute an alternative.
My oldest learned to research the web and encyclopedia as needed to answer accountability questions. My second son prefers to write an in-depth paper about a topic of choice for the week. My third child used the dialectic evaluations as a worksheet, and my fourth child created the lapbook.
We've been pleased with TOG at all levels. :001_smile: